RECOM integrates 37 power designs into CELUS

RECOM Power has made 37 reusable power-design blocks available through the CELUS Design Platform, allowing electronics developers to evaluate manufacturer reference circuits while defining a system’s electrical architecture. Announced on 13 October, the partnership combines RECOM power conversion technologies with CELUS’s software for translating functional requirements into circuit designs and component selections.

The new resources are represented as CUBOs, the reusable circuit modules used within CELUS. Twenty-nine are built around RECOM power ICs for isolated and switching DC/DC conversion, while the remaining eight cover R-78 switching regulators and RAC AC/DC converters. All 37 were available through the platform when the partnership was announced, rather than being products scheduled for a later launch.

Power conversion influences the architecture of an electronic system because the components associated with different functions can require incompatible supply voltages, current capacities or isolation arrangements. A processor may operate from a low-voltage rail while sensors, communications devices and industrial interfaces require separate supplies. Selecting the conversion stages late in development can introduce additional space, thermal or electrical constraints that affect the original architecture.

CELUS allows these requirements to be represented before the detailed schematic is completed. The company’s Power Nets capability associates supply connections with voltage requirements and direction, allowing its Design Assistant to propose compatible power solutions using the information available in the platform. This does not establish that every recommended circuit will satisfy the full electrical and environmental requirements of a finished product.

The RECOM blocks provide circuit information beyond the specification of an individual converter. CELUS describes each CUBO as a Digital Datasheet containing technical parameters, interfaces, schematic context, bill-of-materials information and implementation guidance. The power IC designs draw on RECOM reference circuits, allowing their associated components to be examined together rather than treating the principal semiconductor as a complete power stage.

That distinction is important in switching converter design. The power IC controls the conversion process, but the surrounding circuitry determines operating characteristics including energy storage, switching behaviour, output filtering and stability. Inductors, capacitors, resistors, protection devices and layout choices can materially affect the behaviour of a regulator even where the same main power IC is used.

A reference circuit provides a tested starting configuration, but changes to the input voltage, load current or output requirements may require component values and operating conditions to be reconsidered. Thermal performance and electromagnetic compatibility also depend on the printed circuit board layout and the physical installation. A reusable schematic cannot replace verification of the finished design under its intended operating conditions.

The 29 power IC blocks cover several RECOM device families, including RVP001, RVP003, RVP003S, RVP010, RVP6501 and members of the RVPW range. Some devices are represented by multiple configurations to accommodate different circuit requirements. The new collection therefore contains 29 design configurations rather than 29 necessarily distinct semiconductor products.

Six further CUBOs use R-78 switching regulator products, including designs based on the R-783.3-0.5, R-785.0-0.5 and R-78AA3.3-0.5. Two additional configurations use RAC AC/DC converter modules. These designs provide different routes to implementing supply stages, but they do not mean that the CELUS partnership has created eight newly manufactured converters.

The manufacturers illustrate the integration using an isolated CAN FD communications interface. In the example, an RECOM RVP010 power stage supplies an isolated 5V rail for an isolated transceiver, with the CELUS design canvas also representing the associated 3.3V supply requirements. The circuit shows how the platform can consider a power function together with the subsystem it supports.

Isolated communications links are common in industrial electronics where connected equipment may operate at different ground potentials or encounter electrical disturbances. A galvanically isolated transceiver provides separation across the communications interface, but electronics on the isolated side still require an appropriate supply. The isolation provided by the complete assembly depends on the converter, transceiver, board design and insulation requirements, rather than the voltage specification alone.

The design must also satisfy the communication interface’s operating conditions. Supply stability, transient behaviour and unwanted coupling can affect the performance of the transceiver, while component spacing and insulation arrangements influence safety and electrical withstand capability. The manufacturer reference design supplies useful circuit context without establishing certification of every board subsequently derived from it.

CELUS supports continuation of its designs in Altium Designer, KiCad, Siemens EDA and Autodesk Fusion. That handover allows the selected architecture and supporting circuit information to enter established schematic and board-development workflows. Engineers must still verify the exported components, electrical connections, symbols, footprints and manufacturing requirements before a design can be released for production.

The platform is intended to reduce repeated component research and configuration work during early development. Its ability to compare functions within a structured architecture may help identify an unsuitable supply arrangement before extensive detailed design takes place. The companies have not published an independently measured reduction in engineering hours, board revisions or development costs attributable to the RECOM integration.

RECOM’s product portfolio includes packaged AC/DC and DC/DC conversion products alongside switching regulators, power ICs and transformer solutions. The CELUS agreement extends access to that portfolio through a digital design environment. It follows RECOM’s earlier expansion into discrete power components, but the October announcement concerns new reusable design content rather than a new family of semiconductor devices.

CELUS reports that its platform serves more than 30,000 engineers in over 100 countries and contains information covering more than 560,000 components. These are company-wide platform figures, not evidence that the new RECOM CUBOs have achieved a corresponding level of adoption. No customer design wins or production deployment numbers accompanied the announcement.

All 37 blocks are available for selection within the CELUS Design Platform. Their use will depend on whether the supported circuits match an application’s electrical requirements and whether subsequent engineering checks confirm that the complete power supply design is appropriate. The partnership establishes a new route to RECOM reference circuits at the architecture stage while leaving detailed validation and production readiness with the final hardware design process.